MMY Review of ACT Test
General Information The ACT test was first introduced in 1959 as a competitor to the SAT test published by the College Board. It was designed to measure how well a student could perform skills necessary for college work.
Brief Description The ACT is a timed, multiple choice test that consists of four assessments including English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. There is also an optional Writing assessment for an additional fee. These assessments are reviewed every three to four years to assess what information students need to know and have mastery of when entering college. National Curriculum surveys are used to determine if the curriculum is aligned and addresses whether academic programs are appropriately preparing students for college. Research has shown that taking college preparatory classes could be associated with higher composite scores in Mathematics. There are several manuals available to teachers and counselors to help prepare their students for testing. These manuals offer many tips about each content test as well as sample test items. In addition to testing the students’ academic achievements, the ACT also addresses the interests of test-takers by having them complete an interest inventory. Benchmarks are also available to help students, parents and counselors determine the areas that students are ready for post-secondary work and those which need improvement. Even though this is a helpful predictor of college success,